Pushing For Inclusion In Local Biking Community

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Carrie Schurman hit a physical low last fall.

“Last year especially, was just really, really rough. We usually are on our bikes all the time and I just couldn’t do it,” she said.

Ongoing issues with her hip had finally become too much to bear. She had to get surgery.

“I could only bike a mile before getting in major pain,” Schurman said.

But around the same time, relief arrived in her inbox. It was a message from Marley Blonsky, the co-founder of “All Bodies on Bikes,” a national non-profit pushing for inclusivity in the biking community for people of all weights and sizes.

Blonsky was writing to inform Schurman that All Bodies on Bikes was finally ready to add a Des Moines chapter.

“It was a couple years that we waited,” she said.

Schurman said she celebrated with a happy dance, ecstatic to be working with a woman she first saw on a documentary. Blonsky was featured in the 2021 short film, “All Bodies on Bikes,” which followed her and a friend on a two-day bikepacking adventure.

Blonsky describes herself as a “fat adventure cyclist” and the documentary highlighted her mission to change perceptions of who rides bikes. The message instantly resonated with Schurman.

“I was just in tears. Feeling seen, feeling heard. Like, holy crap, there’s somebody else out there that feels like we do,” she said.

Schurman has always struggled with her weight. Despite her lifelong love of biking, she said her size has made her feel out of place in the cycling community.

“It’s always been unspoken, like I don’t belong,” she said. “If I wanted padded shorts, I had to go online and hope that their measurements were real and that they actually fit. I have never been able to find an actual biking shirt, gear that is made for my body.”

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All Bodies on Bikes has helped Schurman turn her insecurity into action. Now that she has the go-ahead, she is leading the Des Moines chapter alongside her biking buddy Cammy White.

“We ride to feel the breeze. We ride to get somewhere. We ride to just be together,” White said.

Together, Schurman and White will welcome cyclists that prioritize camaraderie over speed, people who simply love to be on their bike.

“Our mission is that all bodies are good bodies, all bikes are good bikes, and all rides should be celebrated,” White said.

All Bodies on Bikes is planning a launch event this spring. Regular events will include social rides, gravel rides, and even monthly donut runs. The national organization has safety and inclusion requirements for all activities, and event promotions must include information about ride length and pace.

It’s all designed to reach people who may feel the way Schurman has felt.

“I think there are a lot of people that want to get on a bike, but they don’t want to be judged for only going a couple of miles. So they’d rather just not get on the bike,” she said. “We want to provide those opportunities.”

It’s a movement she’s proud of, and thankful to lead in Des Moines.

“The universe just kind of takes care of us sometimes and it was what I needed to motivate me to get back on my bike,” Schurman said.

Click here to follow All Bodies on Bikes Des Moines on Instagram and click here for the national organization’s website.

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A Relatable Feeling

I found out about All Bodies on Bikes because Carrie and Cammy were my booth neighbors at the Iowa Bike Expo last month! I got to talking with them, learned about their mission and thought I had to help spread their message.

As dumb as it sounds, the deeper I’ve gotten into writing this newsletter, the more insecure I’ve become about my own biking habits. I am not the kind of biker who rides every day, who perseveres through all weather, and there’s no way in hell I can ride for 100 miles.

Part of me thinks people expect me to be a super-cyclist because of what I write about. But All Bikes on Bodies has helped me remember that none of that matters. I bike when I want, for however long I want, on the type of bike I want, wearing the clothes I want. Thank you for the reminder.

I also want to point out Benola’s Pub & Patio in Baxter, for being my SECOND sponsor! Thank you for your support of DSM Bike Notes!